Analysis of photodegradation process of Pinus sylvestris L. wood after treatment with acid and alkaline buffers and light irradiation

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of acid and alkaline treatment of pine wood on photodegradation. The work presented here deals with changes in the wood colour and infrared spectrum caused by UV light. The colour changes were monitored with a reflectance spectrophotometer. The analysis of the colour changes in wood surfaces was carried out by measuring CIE L*a*b* parameters. Infrared spectroscopy was used to study chemical changes occurring on the surface of wood samples caused by light. Wood treated with alkaline buffer was characterized by higher brightness changes than wood treated with acid. The surface of samples treated with alkaline buffer revealed similar resistance to photodegradation against both outdoor and indoor light. Greater changes in colour were detected in the case of samples treated with acid and exposed to outdoor light in comparison to indoor light. FTIR results showed degradation in the lignin structure both in the case of samples treated with acid and alkaline buffer and exposure to outdoor and indoor irradiation. The difference between the samples treated with UV 340 nm and UV 351 nm irradiation was seen in the 1512 cm-1 band.